Smoke alarms are the most important safety features of your home.  Properly installed,                                     working smoke alarms will give you the early warning you need to safely escape from a fire.

Choosing an Alarm

• Be sure that smoke alarms carry the label of an independent testing lab.
• Smoke alarms can run on batteries or on household currents.
• Smoke alarms have different sensor technologies:
  • Ionization Smoke Alarms- More effective against fast-flaming fires- fire which consume materials rapidly and spread quickly. Sources of these fires may be paper fires or kitchen fires.
  • Photoelectric Smoke Alarms- More effective against slow smoldering fires (fires which smolder for hours before bursting into flame.) Sources of these fires include cigarettes burning in couches or bedding.
  • Combo Units- Ionization/Photoelectric are available and provide early warning of both types of fires.

Where To Install Alarms

• Smoke alarms should be installed on every level of your home, including the basement and in/near every sleeping area. Ensure that all members of your family can hear it.
• Mount alarms high on a wall or on top of the ceiling. Position wall-mounted alarms with the top of the alarm 4-12 inches (10-30 centimeter) from the ceiling.
• Position ceiling-mounted alarms at least 4 inches (10 centimeters) away from the nearest wall.
• Don’t install smoke alarms near a window, door, or forced-air register where drafts could interfere with its operation. The moving air can blow smoke away from the alarm’s sensor.
• To avoid false alarms, keep smoke alarms at least ten feet from stoves and steamy showers.

How To Install Alarms

• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions using a drill and screwdriver.
• Plug-in alarms must have restraining devises so they cannot be unplugged by mistake.
• Hard-wire alarms need to be installed by a qualified electrician.
• Never connect a smoke alarm to a circuit that can be turned off from a wall switch.

Maintenance Tips

• Test smoke alarms once a month by pushing the “test button.”
• Install new batteries at least once a year.
• Clean smoke alarms using a vacuum cleaner without removing the alarm’s cover.
• Replace smoke alarms every 10 years.

Alarms for the Hearing Impaired

• Smoke alarms for the hearing impaired have a built in strobe light.  The alarm has both an audible and visible signal and can be mounted in ceilings and walls.